Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

I wish to raise an issue that is connected to that raised by Deputy Ciarán Lynch, at which time I tried to get in but could not. I refer to the tenant purchase scheme for council flats. Specifically, a policy document was published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in February 2007 and it certainly was expounded by the Taoiseach's party in advance of the general election that provision would be made in legislation during this Dáil term for council flat owners to purchase their flats from local authorities. However, the legislation published during the summer makes no reference to this. Is Government policy still as was set out in February 2007? Does the Government intend to implement some scheme in the future and, if so, how does it propose to so do? Will it be by ministerial order or through further legislation? Why can it not be included in the Bill that is to be brought before the House? That appears to be bizarre.

I wish to make a relevant point. In the late 1980s such a scheme was successfully implemented by Cork City Council. It was discontinued in the early 1990s, in 1992, I believe——

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